Current state of community pharmacy in Japan: practice, research, and future opportunities or challenges

To describe the activities related to pharmaceutical care and research in community pharmacies in Japan.

Japan is an aging society; the proportion of elderly people aged at least 65 years was 19.9% in 2005 and is expected to rise to 26.0% by 2015. This increase will result in ballooning healthcare costs. To curb the huge and rapidly increasing expenditure on medical treatment, many structural reforms have been undertaken in Japan. The healthcare services in community pharmacies will also undergo reforms to meet social needs and patient/customer requirements. In 2006, the undergraduate pharmacy program offered by universities was changed to a 6 year program, including 6 months of clinical training in both hospitals and community pharmacies. This change should provide an opportunity for community pharmacists and academics to communicate with each other, and we anticipate that it will further the research in community pharmacies. Accreditation programs will also improve the level of health care.

The healthcare system should undergo reforms to address the problems related to Japan's low birth rate and the needs of an aging population. Such reforms are also required to ensure a healthy aging society and should not have adverse effects on socially vulnerable children and the elderly. Pharmacists should contribute to the development of a healthcare system for an aging society by providing appropriate pharmaceutical care. Since a large number of prescriptions are dispensed through community pharmacies, pharmacists have a greater opportunity to improve health care. In addition, pharmacist associations are encouraging their members to actively participate in home medical care services. An effective community healthcare program should reduce the need for institutional care.

Although Japanese pharmacists are not fully capable of providing pharmaceutical care at this stage, they will play a crucial role in ensuring a healthy aging society in the future, particularly in the community setting.